Men are the warriors and women, she knew in her heart, were among the fitting spoils of their victories." (Blood Brothers of Gor, p.213) There is an ongoing debate over whether Gorean free women may be warriors or not. Obviously if you do not choose to role-play closely to the Gorean novels, you may add anything to your role-play that you choose. You may have dozens of female warriors or even lands of Amazons. But, if you are concerned about remaining faithful to the books, then the question has much more relevance. Norman did not explicitly lay out guidelines for the place of female warriors on Gor but he did provide ample evidence to show his opinions on the matter. Thus, as for all other Gorean matters, you must consult the novels for an informed answer.
The first step in the analysis must involve defining our terms. There are three basic terms to understand: Warrior, Rarius and Warrior Caste. Our greatest concern is with the last term as that is the crux of the controversy.
A warrior is simply one who battles, armed or unarmed, in combat. That is a very broad term and can encompass males and females. Any one can pick up a weapon and fight in a war. Thus, any woman could fit this definition. But, the answer is far from that simple. When we refer to female warriors on Gor, we are not just considering this definition. We are referring to the deeper issue of the proper place of female Warriors on Gor.

Rarius is a Gorean term that refers to warriors in general. Rarii is the plural form. It applies to any warrior from any culture and not just a member of the Warrior Caste. For example, a male Tuchuk or Red Savage may be referred to as a Rarius. By examining the word, we can also see that it ends in a common masculine suffix, like the word "kajirus." This gives us our first evidence that warriors on Gor are meant to be male. Though, the books never specifically state that "rarius" only applies to men, there is no example where it is ever used for a woman. And if it also applied to women, there would be a term with a feminine suffix such as "raria" that existed. No such term exists in the novels.

In the civilized cities, there also exists a Caste of Warriors, the Red Caste. This Caste is one of the five High Castes on Gor. Men and women may belong to this Caste. The greatest confusion and questions deal with the role of women who belong to the Red Caste. What is their proper role in the Red Caste? May women of the Red Caste train, use weapons and act as a Warrior? May such women defend their cities in time of war? What are the duties and responsibilities of such women in their Caste?
To discern the answers to these questions we must consider a two-pronged inquiry. First, we must decide if women are capable of using a warrior's weapons. Are they physically able to wield a sword or spear? Second, if we answer positively to the first question, then we must decide if the Warrior Caste and Gorean society would permit women to wield weapons. In such a male dominated society, would women be permitted to act as a Warrior? It is legal for them to possess and use weapons?
In answering this first prong, we must understand that we are discussing Gorean women and not Earth women. Do not judge Gor by the examples of female athletes on Earth. Such women do not exist on Gor. Gorean culture is vastly different and has led to a different development for women. Even those Earth

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